One of the most dangerous occupations during World War II was that of an aircraft crew member, whether it was being a pilot, navigator, bombardier or gunner; bomber or fighter. The World War II Foundation website states from 1942 onward until Japan’s surrender on September 2nd, 1945, America averaged 170 planes lost every day.

Because of these dangers, Lieutenant John Fisher Taylor of Center, Texas experienced more excitement in a few years during World War II than most people experience in a lifetime. Born in Center on March 12th, 1918 to Shelby County Judge Duke and Evalena Taylor. Lieutenant Fisher graduated from Center HS with the class of 1935. Classmate Kenneth Neal Nicholson would also become a bombardier in the Army Air Forces and become missing in action on October 27, 1942. John Fisher earned a law degree from the University of Texas before enlisting in the US Army Air Forces on March 10th, 1941. Enlisting with him on that day were Charlie Dean Majors of Paxton and Arlen R. Rhame of Timpson. Both would be killed in action.

He graduated from the Aviation Cadet program in July 1942 at Ellington Field, Texas with a commission as a Second Lieutenant and the silver wings of an Aerial Bombardier. The Champion Newspaper reported that his wife Mrs. Marie Hanson Taylor and young daughter Ann Marie were residing with her parents in Joaquin at that time.

A few short months later then Lieutenant John Fisher would be involved in his first “adventure” in a bombing raid over Germany. During this mission the B-17 Flying Fortress he was a crew member of was severely damaged by enemy ground fire and both the pilot and co-pilot were killed. He took over the controls and somehow brought the crippled plane home saving the lives of the other crew members. He wrote his parents that “the entire undercarriage of the plane was shot away and we brought her in on her belly. She was a great ship but we were happy to get back to England safely”. For his heroic action that day he received the first of two Distinguished Flying Crosses he would earn during World War II.

He was then transferred to Africa flying 71 missions over Tunisia, Bizerte and Sicily. On July 19th, 1943 and 72 hours after the Roosevelt-Churchill ultimatum to Italy “Die for Hitler and Mussolini or live for Italy and civilization”, American heavy and medium bombers dropped bombs for two and a half hours on military targets, principally the railway system. For months previously Lt. John Taylor of Center, Texas along with the other air crews had been drilled in precision bombing so that their bombs would not hit the Vatican City or any of Rome’s cathedrals and monuments that were prized not only by the Italians but by the cultural world in general. The bombardiers and pilots spent weeks memorizing a huge map down to the smallest detail and pilots took extra risks to avoid religious shrines and historical monuments.

Lieutenant Taylor a husky, blond, 25 year old former Texas lawyer from Shelby County served as the lead bombardier on General Jimmy Doolittle’s plane. Lt Taylor reported that the General didn’t have a word to say the entire way from Africa to the Italian mainland but the minute we dropped our bombs he immediately called me over the interphone and excitedly asked “were the bombs on the target area, any to the right of the railroad yards? Did any get close to the Cathedral”? “I didn’t have to lie about em” Lt. Taylor went on. “We hit the marshalling yards right on the nose and I told him so”. The General’s reaction to that sounded mighty like a sigh of relief. All he said was “fine, nice work.”

John Fisher Taylor would see the end of World War II and later retire from the United Sates Air Force in the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He passed on February 8th, 1995 and is buried in the New Hope Cemetery, Shelby County, Texas.

“The average age of the World War II veteran is 90 and while they may have lost a step, they too were once young and in that youth they truly saved the world.”

Sources: Ancestry.com; Champion Newspaper, 10/15/1942 & 8/19/1943; Stars & Stripes, 7/20/1943; WWIIfoundation.org (7/2014);