Processed by
Paul Brockman
17 September 1997
Revised 16 May 2002
Updated 9 March 2004
Manuscript and Visual Collections Department
William Henry Smith Memorial Library
Indiana Historical Society
450 West Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269
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1 folder |
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COLLECTION |
28 April 1997 |
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PROVENANCE: |
Kenneth A. Apple, 1962 Golf Stream Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46229, 19 May 1997; 17 October 1997 |
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RESTRICTIONS: |
Copyright retained by author |
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COPYRIGHT: |
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REPRODUCTION |
Permission to reproduce or publish material in this collection must be obtained from the Indiana Historical Society. |
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ALTERNATE |
None |
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RELATED |
Indiana Historical Society, World War II Project (M 652) |
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ACCESSION |
1997.0509; 1998.0024 |
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NOTES: |
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Kenneth A. Apple (b. 1924) was born in Indianapolis and graduated from Arsenal Technical High School in 1942. Upon graduation, Apple was employed as a draftsman by the J. D. Adams Company, manufacturers of heavy machinery.
In March 1943, he was inducted into the U. S. Army and was assigned to the Army Air Force. Apple received training as a radio operator and aerial gunner, was promoted to staff sergeant, and was assigned to a B-24 heavy bomber. After completing his training in the United States, Apple was assigned to the 15th Air Force as part of the 344th squadron of the 98th Bomb Group near Lecce, Italy, in July 1944. The unit was also briefly stationed in Herglea, Tunisia. Apple’s unit was part of two raids on the oil fields at Ploesti, Romania, 17–18 August 1944. Apple and the 98th Bomb Group also flew missions into Austria, Hungary, Greece, and Germany.
After completing the required 35 missions, Apple returned to the United States where he was discharged and returned to work for J. D. Adams, first as a draftsman and later as a mechanical engineer. In 1966 he accepted a similar position with the Allison Transmission Company and retired from their employment in 1984.
Sources: Material in collection.
The 84-page manuscript concentrates on Apple’s war-time experiences in the Army Air Force. Included in the typescript are accounts of his basic training, his transportation by ship across the Atlantic, his experiences flying combat missions as a radio operator on a B-24, and his return to the United States upon completing his required missions. Also included in the narrative is his account of his group’s mission to bomb the Ploesti oil fields in Romania, 17–18 August 1944, and a mission to Innsbruck, Austria, where his plane received heavy flack damage and made an emergency landing, 23 October 1944.
For additional information on this collection, including a list of subject headings that may lead you to related materials:
1. Go to the Indiana Historical Society's online catalog: http://157.91.92.2/
2. Click on the "Basic Search" icon.
3. Select "Call Number" from the "Search In:" box.
4. Search for the collection by its basic call number (in this case, SC 2634).
5. When you find the collection, go to the "Full Record" screen for a list of headings that can be searched for related materials.