World War II Photos
World War II Photos
Click on the images for a larger image.
My grandfather, Alexander Gollub, was a combat engineer in the United States Army. His duties included service on a floating power plant near Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. However I'm not sure if he ever saw duty in Europe. My father's older brother, Frank Barra was an airman on a B-17 "Flying Fortress" in the Army Air Corps. His job in his crew was a waist gunner at the mid section of the B-17. May both of them rest in peace.
Photograph Key
 1. A photograph of my Dad's father and my grandfather, Alexander Gollub. I think the photograph might be 1944. The photograph is made of tin and there used to be a mirror in the back of it. It broke when it was accidentally dropped in 1992. We will have it replaced one day.
 2. Another phtograph of my grandfather. This phtograph was taken in June 1944 at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. My grandfather was a combat engineer in the U.S. Army. In this photograph he has a gasmask, leggings, combat boots, fatigues, backpack with tent, M1 helmet, and an M1903 A3 Springfield rifle with bayonet. My grandfather gave this photograph to my father many years ago. My father feels honored he gave it to him.
 3. A May 1944 photograph of my grandfather and several friends at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. The smoke stacks in the background could be the floating power plant.
 4. This is a 1944 photograph of my Dad's mom and my grandmother, my grandfather, and my father's older sister Alexis, the Aunt I never knew.
 5. A xerox copy photograph of my fathers brother, and my uncle, Staff Sergeant Frank Barra. He was an airman in the Army Aircorps. He was a waist gunner on a B-17 Flying fortress at age 19. In November 1944, him and his crew were shot down by German anti aircraft fire over the Ruhr Valley in Germany. The most of the crew perished in the crash. In the early 1950's, the Germans sent home the bodies of the crew where they were given a proper ceremony and burial with a flag on their caskets. One of the survivors, navigator Goerge Keiser presented my grandmother with the photograph of the B-17 crew. My grandmother and my father's two older sisters Blanch and Joan took Frank's death pretty hard. My father was not born yet, it was Frank Barra whom he was named after. Since then the name Frank has become a family name. May the crew members rest in peace.
 6. A xerox copy photograph of the B-17 crew in which my uncle served with. The names of the crewman and their duty is listed above or below them. Most of the airmen were either in their teens of their 20's as was typical with most bomber plane crews.
 7. This is a xerox copy photograph of a B-17 Flying Fortress. My uncle had sent this photograph to his mother and older sisters showing them the type of plane he served on.
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