(22 July, 2013) 12th AF; 57th Bomb Wing; 321st Bomb Group and 447th Bomb Squadron, B-25 Mitchell Combat Pilot in the MTO.

Roland G Bullion was residing in DeFere, Brown County, Wisc. and entered the Service on 15 October, 1940 as a Private into the Field Artillery of the National Guard (Component of the Army). Roland was born in 1921 in Wisconsin and is an American Citizen and was still single at enlistment. He had completed high school and was working as an Architect.

Rollo - Rollie - Bully - (anythin' but) - Roland was a very special friend; …to many, maybe to all.

Lt Roland G Bullion was a B-25 Combat Pilot with the 321st Bomb Group, the 447th Bomb Squadron and this was an extremely bad Mission/ nearing the end of the war …the enemy was giving us all they had. The "Brenner". . . a thin pass that wound it's way through extremely rugged-high jagged rocks….

Sunday, 21 January 1945

447th BS War Diary: No Entry

447th BS Mission Summary: Eight plane mission against Lavis Viaduct, Lavis, Italy, on the Brenner Pass line. Lt. Roland G. Bullion, pilot, was killed by a direct flak hit. The co-pilot, Lt. Briggs, and Sgt. Perl, engineer, who took the pilot’s seat, did a fine job of bringing the plane back safely.

A/C No. 43-27506 “Rebel Devil”

P Bullion, Roland G., 1Lt

CP Briggs, Richard G., 2Lt

N none

B Gary, Niel F, Sgt.

E Perl, Richard H., Sgt

R Ruiz, Emigdio (NMI) Cpl.

G Hawthorne, Charles E., Cpl.

Briggs was awarded the Silver Star, http://57thbombwing.com/gallery2/main.php?g2itemId=38395 What they did NOT say was that Rollo himself took a direct hit, after Briggs had been wounded in the neck and shoulder and was passing in and out….. Sgt. Perl 'took the pilot seat' but only after scraping the pilot off of the windshield. Roland was killed instantly. He was a very fine man and Pilot!_

We have updated the War-Diary, which I have not have time to up-date in Rollo's site (but I will).

My "team" is 3. . . John T Fitzgerald, Patti Johnson and myself… the original war-diary from about 1000 pages to now about 10,000 by adding in Logs/Diaries, Missions/Targets, Special Accounts and etc. http://57thbombwing.com/321stHistory/321BG1945-01.pdf Patti is our Genealogist, Butch types like the wind and I speak with the families, make web-sites, Albums and add pictures :)

PRINCESSBARBI Barbara Ennis Connolly

Briggs, Richard G. "Dick", 1Lt, pilot (0-820211)(1Lt 5 Mar 45)(101 Lexington Ave, Needham Hgts MA)(2 from MA in NARA may be - 31258681 BRIGGS#RICHARD#G# MA ESSEX FT DEVENS MA 43) Bullion, Roland G. "Rollo", 1Lt, pilot (also "Bully" per p9 57th Fall 96 - M31996)(429 1/2 Reid St W, DeFere WI)(NARA - 20654206 BULLION#ROLAND#G# WI BROWN UC 40) 30-Aug-44 KIA flak 21 Jan 45
http://www.fold3.com/page/85306014rolandgbullion/

http://www.fold3.com/page/85686126richardg_briggs/

PRINCESSBARBI Barbara Ennis Connolly Dad/Ed Ennis http://www.warwingsart.com/12thAirForce/ennis.html 57th Bomb Wing Historical Researcher,319th & 321st BG Historian, http://57thbombwing.com Men of the 57th Gallery/Albums,

http://57thbombwing.com/gallery/index.php/MenOf57th/321stBG/447thSquadron/Roland_Bullion