In June 1945, the West Schuylkill Press-Herald of Tremont, Pennsylvania reported on the return of a local soldier from service in the 8th Air Force in England.
Marvin Hoke served as a radioman and gunner aboard B-17 Flying Fortresses in the famed 303rd Bomb Group of the 8th Air Force – known as Hell’s Angels. The newspaper carried the story of his return after 36 bombing missions over Germany:
Donaldson Aerial Gunner Home After 36 Missions Over Germany
T/S Marvin Hoke, son of Mr. and Mrs. George W. Hoke of Donaldson, has returned from overseas and is at his home on a furlough before reporting for his next assignment. Hoke was with the 8th Air Force stationed in England.
His bomber group, known as “Hell’s Angels, won many citations, including the coveted Presidential Citation, Air Medal, five Oak Leaf Clusters and two stars for major engagements.
The young Donaldson aerial gunner and radio operator was on the crew of a B-17 Flying Fortress. From December 1944 to April 1945 he completed 36 missions over Germany, and had the unpleasant experience of being forced to bail out of a crippled Fortress, but luckily the crew did not have to abandon ship until after they returned to the skies over England and landed on English soil.
Hoke sprained both legs in his parachute jump and he was sent to Scotland at that time for a rest. His plane took part in the bombing of Berlin and other important Nazi targets, and he has many photographs of the cities they bombed.
He was over Berlin three times, and the pictures he has shows Berlin burning furiously from the American air raids. He says that one mission on a B-17 took 2700 gallons of gasoline.
Leon Miller of Donaldson was in the same outfit with Marvin and they saw one another every day. Miller was with the AAF ground crew.
When Hoke reports for duty at the end of his furlough in a few weeks, he expects to go to the Pacific to the China-Burma-India Theatre of Operations
Hoke later served in the Korean War and flew more missions with the United States Air Force. He returned to Pennsylvania, settled in Gettysburg, and passed away in 1988.
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